The Singing (Pellinor #4)

The Singing is the final book in the Pellinor series by Alison Croggon.

Maerad and Hem are looking for each other. They both know that they must find each other before the Black Army destroys Annar, but Annar is a huge place and neither knows exactly where to look.

Maerad is destined to be the One who stands against the evil Nameless One, but the prophesy did not foretell what happens to her when she does. Will she survive the final battle between the Light and the Dark?

I would love to say more about this amazing series, but I am trying my hardest not to include any spoilers. Just read the books! I usually agree that the library is the way to go, but they are so good that you might as well buy the series.

Croggon, Alison. (2008). The Singing. Summerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

The Crow (Pellinor #3)

The Crow is the third book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon.

The third book takes a break from following Maerad on her quest to catch up with Hem in Turbansk. When the siblings split up for safety, Hem and his protector Saliman went south to the School of Turbansk.

Hem is having difficulty adjusting from a life of travel with the Pilanel to sitting still in class all day. The only subject he pays attention to is swordcraft. It has been hard for him to make friends because he does not speak the language of the region.

But soon his classes will be the least of his worries. The Nameless One is amassing soldiers for a great attack on the city. All children are to be sent to safety, but Hem fights to stay with Saliman.

Hem, like Maerad, may have a part to play in the fulfilment of the prophesy against the darkness... if he can live through the siege of the city.

Croggon has created an addictive series in a class with Garth Nix's Abhorsen Trilogy and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

Croggon, Alison. (2006). The Crow. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.

The Riddle (Pellinor #2)

The Riddle is the second book in Alison Croggon's Pellinor series.

Maerad and Cadvan are on a quest to find the answers to the riddle - what is the Treesong? What little reference they can find tells them to go north to the icy land of the Winterking.

The battle between Light and Dark begins again and according to the foretelling, Maerad is the one who will help the Light triumph. But their journey will not be easy, nor do they have a clear vision of where to go. They must gather clues along the way.

Maerad is one of the strongest mages to live. She has the magic of the Bards and their Speech and she has the magic of the Elementals or Eldihu. In order to use her tremendous power justly she must first learn to control it. Her temper must never get the better of her or she is likely to destroy everyone around her.

Croggon obviously had a plan for the series before she began writing. The plot and depth of character development, along with whole new languages, puts this series in league with the Lord of the Rings. Anyone who like fantasy will devour this series.

Croggon, Alison. (2007). The Riddle. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.

The Naming (Pellinor #1)

The Naming by Alison Croggon is the first book of her Pellinor series.

Mearad is a slave. She barely remembers the time before she and her mother were brought to the rough place she now lives. Since her mother's death she has been alone. She wishes to escape but cannot see a safe way to get out.

While she is milking cows one morning she sees a strange man stumble into the barn. He is surprised she can see him because only those with the gift can see through his spell of invisibility. The man, Cadvan, helps Maerad escape.

Though they will have a difficult journey, Cadvan is taking Maerad to a school for those with the gift, or Bards as they are called. It is the right of anyone with the gift to be educated in one of the seven schools.

This first book in the series tells of a world where evil is rising and there is corruption in some of the Bards' schools. Maerad's life will be better than it was as a slave, but she may have to work just as hard to survive.

Croggon, Alison. (2002). The Naming. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.